728 have died so far in rains and floods, says NDMA report

ISLAMABAD: As of August 20, as many as 728 people have died due to recent rains and floods across the country, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported Sunday.

The NDMA has released the details of the loss of life and property due to rains. Among those who died the most were men, whose number was 309, the NDMA report said.

The majority of the people who died were from Balochistan, whose number was 207, the report added. At the same time, the number of people killed due to recent rains in Sindh has reached 177, whereas, the number of people killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was recorded at 149.

Moreover, at least 151 people lost their lives in Punjab, nine in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 34 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Collectively, as many as 309 men, 156 women and 263 children have lost their lives across the country due to recent rains and floods.

Whereas, the total number of people who were injured across the country from June 14 to August 20 was recorded at 1,291. The majority of people who were injured in rain and flood related incidents belonged to Sindh, whose number was 701.

Besides, 300 people were injured due to rains in Punjab, 81 in Balochistan, 186 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 19 in AJK. Apart from the human loss, as many as 31,047 houses were completely destroyed while 85,724 houses were damaged across the country in rains and floods.

At least 18 bridges in Balochistan, 52 in GB, 45 in Sindh and seven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were damaged in the recent rains. More than 503,000 cattle heads were lost across the country, whereas, 2866.9km roads in the country were damaged.

The shops were also not spared by the torrential rains and flash floods, as 17 shops were damaged in AJK while 32 shops were damaged in Sindh.

As many as 103 districts across the country have been affected by the recent rains and floods. Among the affected districts, four are in Balochistan and as many in GB. Whereas, communication roads are blocked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Three children, including two brothers and a sister, were crushed after the roof of their house collapsed on them due to rain in Garello Town, Larkana. The deceased were identified as 13-year-old Kashif Shah, nine-year-old Ehtisham Shah and seven-year-old Bisma.

The locals removed the debris and shifted the bodies of the three children to the hospital. It merits a mention here that the death toll in roof collapse incidents has reached 18.